Health Watch: West Nile season milder than usual

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Click above for the weekly health rail, with items on West Nile virus, "light" cigarettes, preventing eye injuries and more.

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The West Nile virus season is on track to be the mildest in seven years, with less than a third the number of serious cases as last year's total, U.S. health officials said.

As of Sept. 23, there were 368 severe cases, with 18 deaths, according to preliminary reports. California and Missouri were the hardest-hit states. Most West Nile infections are reported in August and September, so health officials believe the worst of the season is probably over.

It's not clear why this season has been so mild, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. It's the fewest cases since 2001.

Do 'light' cigarettes deliver less nicotine to the brain?

For decades, cigarette makers have marketed so-called light cigarettes, which contain less nicotine than regular smokes, with the implication that they are less harmful to smokers' health.

A new UCLA study shows, however, that they deliver nearly as much nicotine to the brain.

Reporting in the current online edition of the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, researchers found light cigarettes have nicotine levels of 0.6 to 1 milligrams, while regular cigarettes contain between 1.2 and 1.4 milligrams.

But the researchers found that even that low a nicotine level is enough to occupy a sizeable percentage of nicotine receptors in the brain.

Health Tip

October is Eye Injury Prevention Month, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology says you can protect yourself from serious eye injuries by taking a few simple precautions.

- Wear safety goggles (with “ANSI Z87.1” marked on the lenses or frame) when working in the workshop or yard, jump-starting your car or working with cleaning or other chemicals.

- Fireworks can cause devastating injuries to users and bystanders. Never use fireworks at home - attend only professional fireworks displays.

- If you get an eye injury, seek medical help immediately.

Number to Know: 8.7 percent

The cost of specialty biotech drugs increased 8.7 percent last year in the United States; three times the rate of inflation, according to AARP.

Such drugs are used to treat complex illnesses including cancer and rheumatoid arthritis and are among the most expensive drugs on the market.

Children’s Health

Scientists at Yale School of Medicine have found that 2-year-olds with autism looked significantly more at the mouths of others, and less at their eyes, than typically developing toddlers.

After the first few weeks of life, infants look in the eyes of others, setting processes of socialization in motion. The scientists found that the amount of time toddlers spent focused on the eyes predicted their level of social disability. The less they focused on the eyes, the more severely disabled they were.

These results may offer a useful biomarker for quantifying the presence and severity of autism early in life and screen infants for autism.

Senior Health

New research shows that elderly patients experience quality of life improvement after receiving cochlear implants for hearing loss.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology said that while previous research had indicated that the geriatric population may not benefit from the surgery, the implants help seniors as well as children and adults.

Fall Safety

As the leaves turn different colors and the weather gets cooler, many Americans begin to engage in outdoor cleanup. Here is our last fall safety tip: How to stay safe on a ladder when cleaning gutters, checking roof integrity and washing windows.

- Make sure all four legs rest on a firm, level surface. Avoid uneven ground or soft, muddy spots.

- Before you climb, be sure all ladder locks and safety braces are engaged.

- Never sit or stand on the top of the ladder or on its pail shelf. These areas were not designed to carry your weight.

- Be aware of your balance. Be careful when moving items off a shelf while you're standing on a ladder. If you have to stretch or lean to reach your work area, it would be safer to climb down and reposition the ladder closer to your work.

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GateHouse News Service

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